Interesting Facts about the American Pika

The American pika (Ochotona princeps) is a small mammal that lives in the mountains of Western America. They are a small relative of rabbits and hares, and eats grasses, leaves, thistles, and other green plants.

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While they sometimes eat the food they find right away, the pika also collects food in small piles, called “haying.” This food is used during the winter, since pikas do not hibernate.

The pika seems to be able to understand the importance of its food, harvesting certain plants at certain times, when the plant will offer the most nutritional resources.

The American pika can grow up to eight inches long and usually weigh about six ounces.

Pikas cannot tolerate high temperatures, and live in mountain areas to stay cool. Due to global warming, these usually cool areas are warming up and endangering the pika population.

Pikas can live to be 6 to 7 years old, but their average lifespan is three to four years.

Lesson plan note: The pika is quickly becoming the poster animal for the effects of global warming, and runs the risk of being the first animal to go instinct due to global weather changes. Discuss how changes of temperature threaten the pika and what can be done to save it.